Ajit has graduated with IDCORE and is now working as a Lecturer in Autonomous Systems and Robotics at the University of Exeter:
https://emps.exeter.ac.uk/renewable-energy/staff/ap676
Ajit is also now working as an Academic Supervisor within IDCORE:
EngD Thesis Title: On the optimization of offshore wind farm layouts
Company/Organisation: EDF Energy R&D UK Centre
Industrial supervisor: Vincent De Laleu
Academic supervisors: Dr John Chick (University of Edinburgh), Dr Lars Johanning (University of Exeter), Dr Mahdi Khorasanchi (University of Strathclyde)
Programme start: September 2012
Industrial Project start: June 2013
Educational background
I graduated from Columbia University in the city of New York with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2011. I then completed a MSc in Sustainable Energy Systems at the University of Edinburgh in September 2012.
What were you doing prior to this programme?
I was completing my MSc at The Unviersity of Edinburgh.
What attracted you to studying with IDCORE?
During the dissertation phase of my MSc degree I made the decision to pursue a research degree following the completion of the MSc. The IDCORE programme therefore seemed as an appealing choice as it integrated the research experience of a traditional PhD with real industrial experience in the industry. I felt given that I was unsure if I wanted to go into academia or industry following my doctorate that this offered the best compromise and experience to prepare me for either.
What attracted you to offshore renewables industry?/ What aspects of the industry do you find most inspiring, interesting or important for the future?
The offshore renewables industry appealed to me as it is a rapidly growing industry with unique challenges as compared to onshore renewables or conventional power generation. The most important challenge facing the industry as a whole is reducing the Levelised Cost of Energy (LCOE) such that these energy sources are competitive.
Main responsibilities and challenges as a Research Engineer
My project within the EDF Energy R&D UK Centre’s Offshore Wind team focused on developing a tool to allow for the optimisation of an offshore wind farm layout such that the LCOE is minimised, and the wind farm maximises its potential. The greatest challenge of this project was to identify the factors that contribute to the LCOE and means of modelling these. However, as the project included a global optimisation problem it was important to always keep the trade-off between model accuracy and computational time.
